A lot has happened in the past couple of months and I honestly haven't been in a writing mood... My Dad passed away on November 21st. I wouldn't say it's been easy but I am thankful that he's no longer in pain.
I do still want to continue with CP because I enjoy writing it. I hope you can understand why I haven't been able to upload in a while. There have just been a lot of personal issues in my life I've had to deal with. I didn't forget though. I was actually wanting to wait to upload until I could post two chapters at once but I received an anonymous review today from somebody asking me to continue with the story and decided to just post my finished chapter now. More will be coming soon. I promise.
Thanks for being patient and thank you to those that are still interested in the story even though I haven't uploaded in a while; you rock.
Chapter
13
Three Days Later
The Swan Headquarters
3:43 PM
Benjamin groaned and lifted his hands to rub his tired eyes. He'd been watching the video feed through the tech in Casey's eyes almost non-stop for three days, hoping to get some kind of hint of her whereabouts. So far, nothing had stuck out enough to investigate. Even when Karma forced him to sleep for a few hours a day, he constantly dreamt of images in his mind from the video. His photographic memory refused to give him rest.
Derek accompanied him most of the time while watching too, but he basically kept to himself and didn't speak unless spoken to. Ben wanted so badly to ask about the jail cell incident again, but decided against it -for now. He had to admit that a part of him was hurt that Derek didn't trust him enough to tell him what happened. They'd become good friends in the past two years, even roommates for crying out loud, so it didn't make sense that he refused to confide in him.
He was definitely a different person now. From the whole thing with Casey, to whatever happened with the jail cell, Derek had changed. It was like a wall had been built up around him and he was coated with a hard exterior. He obviously wasn't sleeping, probably even less than Ben; his eyes were always bloodshot and he'd practically grown a full beard from not bothering to shave. The guy was a wreck.
"Anything?" A familiar voice asked as they entered the room. It was Derek.
"Did you even manage to close your eyes? It's only been a couple of hours since Karma forced you to go rest." Ben said turning to look at his partner's haggard appearance.
The former hockey star ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair with a sigh, "I tried, man, but kept waking up."
"Do I need to shoot you with my tranq gun?" The blonde smirked.
Derek chuckled, "You might have to. I'm sure Kar wouldn't hesitate to shoot the both of us."
"She's probably loading her gun as we speak."
The two laughed as Derek used the crutches he got from the medical wing to walk towards the other chair and take a seat.
"Have I missed anything?" He asked while turning his attention towards the screen, the smile immediately replaced by a frown and the pleasant mood amongst them dispersed.
Ben shook his head, "Not much. She's still in that room. Someone brought her a meal and then left again. It's like they're being held prisoner."
"Have you tried talking to her again?"
"Yeah, but still no answer. Even the tech guys are puzzled over the sound not working. It's a mystery."
"What about the facial recognition? Has Kar found out anything through that?"
"Nothing useful. The girl, Ronin Quinn, is from Australia. She's 20-years-old, grew up an orphan and had to learn to survive while living in the outback. Eventually, it led to killing to survive, which led to hunting down and murdering whomever she was hired to by an unknown employer.
"The African man is from Kenya. His name is Mutawa Me-Tulu. She couldn't really dig too much up about his past because he grew up in a small village in the middle of the jungle. He obviously learned to fight and to kill somehow though."
"He seems to have taken a liking to Casey and I'm not sure how I feel about that." Derek glowered.
"I think it's more of a protective instinct he has over her, D. You have nothing to worry about."
"I do have something to worry about though, maybe not with Mufasa-"
"Mutawa." Ben corrected with an eye roll. "He's not the friggin' king of the jungle."
"Whatever." Derek glared at him. "According to Casey, our relationship has ended. In her mind we're not together anymore. She thinks I don't care."
Ben leaned forward and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "She loves you, Derek. No matter how angry she is with you, you're the only guy Casey wants."
Derek let out a sigh as he stared at the image on the screen. Casey was standing in front of a mirror in the room she was kept in. A deep frown was etched on her face while staring at her reflection. He just wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but he couldn't.
The young man finally stood to his feet and spoke, "I need some fresh air."
"You okay?" Ben asked with concern.
"Just let me know if something exciting happens." He said before heading towards the door.
"Derek, wait."
Derek rolled his eyes with a groan, "Look, dude, I'm not much for sharing my feelings, so just-"
"Something is happening." Ben said motioning towards the screen where it showed Casey being led out of the room and down a dark hallway.
"Who is she following?"
"That guy from the helicopter. Kar said she couldn't find any information about him. According to the world database, he doesn't exist."
"So she's being led down a creepy hallway by a damn ghost? I don't like the sounds of that."
"Me neither."
(=)
Unknown Location
3:52 PM
Casey stared at her reflection and frowned. She still wasn't used to the new appearance staring back at her. The dark hair and yellow eyes kind of freaked her out to be honest. It just wasn't her, which of course was the whole point but it still bothered her.
The secret agent was beginning to feel restless just sitting around in a room for three days straight. Yes, they brought her meals every few hours and lots of water, but she hated the suspense. It felt like she was being held prisoner and she had no idea what they had planned for her.
The room wasn't cold and ugly like a prison cell at least, and they did provide her with a TV to ease her boredom just a little. There was also a punching bag set up so that she could practice her fighting and work out all the pent up frustration she was feeling which of course satisfied her quite nicely, but it still wasn't enough. She was beginning to miss her friends at The Swan, especially one man in particular.
Why didn't you at least say goodbye, Derek? She questioned inside her mind with a deep longing to be in his presence again. Even if she was angry with him, she still couldn't help missing him.
"Phoenix." A voice called from the bedroom and she quickly exited the bathroom to meet whoever it was.
"So you've finally decided to show your face again." The young agent grinned while crossing her arms against her chest when she saw that it was Blaize, the English man from the helicopter a couple of days ago, the one that almost got her killed - might she add.
"If I had known you would miss me so much, I would have shown my face a lot sooner, love." He grinned back and Casey couldn't help but find him slightly attractive.
He's the bad guy, Case, just remember that.
"Are you finally here to tell me what my final task is to get into your little club?" The agent undercover asked, getting to the point.
"Follow me." Blaize said and walked out the door.
Casey let out a sigh of relief, glad to finally be given permission to leave the room and do something exciting. At least she hoped it would be exciting...
They entered another room down the hall from hers, this one was larger and held video screens on the wall, plus a couple of couches and tables. Casey took a closer look at one of the screens and realized it showed the room she'd recently vacated.
"You've been watching me." She frowned.
"Of course we have." He winked. "The Collective needs to know we can trust you."
"So do you?"
"Not quite yet... All in due time."
"Of course."
The door opened behind her and in stepped Mutawa, followed by Ronin and another man Casey didn't recognize, probably another member of the clan.
"Spitfire, it is good to see you again." The large African man smiled as he approached her.
"You as well." She replied.
Ronin only nodded her head Casey's way, obviously still not sure what to think of her.
"How is your arm?" Casey asked the young Aussie, trying not to seem too concerned but at least interested in the girl's well-being.
"It's fine." She answered, motioning towards the bandage wrapped around her left bicep.
"Now that we have all been re-acquainted, shall we get down to business?" Blaize asked with a clap of his hands.
The three assassins nodded, eager to hear what they would have to do next.
"This time we have an actual job for you. There is a device that we need you to retrieve. Since we're still in the process of actually trusting you or not, you will be drugged while being transported to your destination."
"And how do we know that we can trust you?" Casey asked with a raised brow.
"You really have no choice, do you?" He smirked with an equally raised brow.
"When do we leave?" Mutawa spoke up eagerly ready for more action.
"Now."
"What about our weapons?" Ronin asked with a hard glare, still annoyed that they had taken them in the first place.
"They will be returned once you arrive."
"Do we at least get to know anything about this device we're retrieving?" Casey asked.
"You will be filled in when we deem it necessary. Now," he said with a grin and pulled out a small bottle of pills. "Who wants to fall asleep first?"
Unknown Location
9:21 PM
"Open your eyes, Phoenix." A familiar voice spoke inside Casey's head and for a moment her heart rate accelerated when she realized who it could be.
"Ben?" She questioned sleepily as she tried to wake up from the drug-induced nap.
"Who is Ben?" The voice replied. "I told you to call me Blaize."
"Blaize…" The secret agent let out a sigh of defeat. Of course it wasn't Ben. The tech she'd injected inside her ear was still not working. She realized that she better cover up her mistake quickly as she spoke with mock irritation. "I was close enough. They both start with a B. Now are you going to tell me how you got your voice inside my head, Blaize?"
The attractive English man chuckled at her attitude, "You're so feisty; I like it." He purred and Casey rolled her eyes. "We placed a communication device in your ear while you were out. The rest of your team is also wearing one. You will be able to communicate with each other only when necessary."
"Speaking of my "team", where are they?" Casey wondered as she surveyed the dark room she was currently in.
"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that the three of you work together on retrieving the device before someone else does."
"Don't tell me you have the place roaming with more ninjas?" Casey groaned.
"Even better." She could picture him grinning. "An anonymous tip has been called in to a secret government agency. They are sending their spy agents in as we speak."
That doesn't sound good… The secret agent frowned. Now I have to pretend I'm an assassin and fight my own people.
"Sounds like fun." Casey replied convincingly as her alias would. "Do we at least get to know where this so-called device is hidden?"
"Ronin will guide you."
"What do you mean?"
"She has the map. Unfortunately for the poor Aussie girl, she won't be able to join you in actually retrieving the device."
"Why is that?"
"Because at this very moment she is locked inside a room and handcuffed to a pipe. If her directions prove trustworthy and you find the device, you will then have to go rescue her before the clock runs out."
"And if we don't?"
"Then the secret agents will be collecting her pieces off the floor."
Casey was really beginning to despise this man, no matter how attractive he looked and sounded.
"How much time do we have?" She ground out through clenched teeth.
"An hour starting… now." He said and his voice disappeared.
Casey let out a frustrated scream as she hurriedly began trying to find a way out of the room she was in. Suddenly the black room lit up and she realized it was because of the night vision tech in her eyes.
Thank you, tech nerds! She praised and located the exit immediately.
Of course the door was locked as she struggled to open it. She searched the room for anything she could use to bust the lock but the room was bare. Something hard nudged her hip. She reached down and realized it was her gun. The bastards had returned it. She also found her knife sheathed to the inside of her thigh as well.
"Spitfire, can you hear me?" Mutawa's voice suddenly spoke inside her ear.
"Mutawa! Where are you?" She responded instantly.
"I just broke out of a room I was locked inside. Where are you?"
"Trying to break out of the room I'm locked inside."
"Did Blaize tell you the mission?"
"Yes."
"We need to hurry. Have you heard from Ronin?"
"Not yet."
Casey took a hold of her gun and smashed the butt down hard on the metal door handle. It broke off and she hurried out into a dimly lit hallway.
"I'm out." She told Mutawa.
"We need to reach Ronin. She has to guide us. Without the map, we are roaming empty halls like blind bats."
"Ronin?" Casey spoke into the comms device. "Ronin, you need to answer us if you want to get out of this alive."
There was a muffled response.
"Was that you, Mutawa?" Casey asked.
"No. It must be coming from her end."
"Do you think they- " His voice was unexpectedly cut off.
"Mutawa?" Casey spoke louder, wondering what happened to his voice. Don't tell me this tech is faulty too…
She didn't know what to do. Now both of her supposed teammates weren't responding and they had less than an hour to complete the mission or Ronin was dead. She didn't even know which end of the hall to start running down because the wrong one could lead her further away from where she needed to be.
"Phoenix!" A woman's Australian accent shouted into her ear, startling the secret agent slightly. "They're going to kill me!"
"Ronin, calm down! Why weren't you responding?" Casey shouted back.
"They had me gagged. My hands are cuffed to a pipe, so I had to figure out a way to free my mouth without dropping the map they left with me. There's also a bomb strapped to my feet." The young woman wimpered.
Casey was about to curse out Blaize and The Collective but Mutawa's voice suddenly returned. He was out of breath.
"I just finished fighting off three secret agents. We need to hurry!" The man yelled. "What does the map say?"
"It's not exactly just a map. It's on a handheld device. I can see where we're all located within the building, as well as the secret agents and the target."
"Great! Tell us where to go!"
"Mutawa, you need to head straight and to the right. Phoenix, you need to go to the left and then down a flight of stairs on your right. There are agents approaching you, so you better hurry."
Casey started running in the direction she was told. She saw two secret agents ascending the stairs just as she approached them and shot them both unconscious with her special gun, while lunging over their bodies and sliding down the banister of the stairs.
Ronin continued giving directions while also keeping a close eye on the timer of the bomb as Casey and Mutawa were fast approaching their target, taking down secret agents on the way.
"You're almost right on top of it, Phoenix!" Ronin raised her voice excitedly. "We have 27 minutes left, so make it quick!"
"Which way?"
"Straight ahead. It's in some kind of room."
As Ronin was guiding Mutawa, Casey made her way towards the door she now noticed ahead of her. She smashed the butt of her gun against it just like the last time and it broke off, granting her access. The room was lit up by tons of computer monitors and machines. It took her a second for her eyes to adjust to regular vision as she began to look around.
"I'm in the room, Ronin. Where is it?"
The Australian girl didn't hear her as she shouted to their other accomplice. "Mutawa, there are seven agents closing in on you! Find an escape now!"
"Ronin!" Casey yelled into the comms device.
"Freeze!" A voice unexpectedly ordered from the doorway.
Why does that voice sound so familiar? Casey wondered.
The undercover agent spun around ready to shoot whoever it was but suddenly faltered when she caught sight of their face.
It can't be…
"Lizzie…?" She whispered with wide eyes.
"Drop your weapon!" Her younger sister commanded as she pointed a tranq gun at her. She obviously hadn't heard her name being uttered or recognized Casey for that matter, which she was thankful for.
However, Casey was basically spellbound with shock as she just stared at who appeared to be her younger sister dressed and acting like a secret government agent.
This can't be happening…
Her eyes zeroed in on the tranquillizer gun in her hands and recognized the make of it immediately because she used to have one almost exactly like it two years ago.
When and how in the hell did Lizzie become an R.E.D. agent?!
Are you surprised? Did you see that coming? Lizzie is an R.E.D. agent! Oh Snap! This had actually been my plan long before I started writing the story, so I'm very excited to finally introduce one of the main plot-lines to Clandestine Phoenix.
Please leave a Review. They really do encourage me. Let me know your thoughts on the story so far... What do you think about Lizzie working for R.E.D.? What do you think of the other characters so far? Any theories...? I enjoy hearing from the Readers, so don't be shy.
Thank you.